Washing machine



June 17, 1941. ci-E. oLssoN WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1'?, 19:58

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HIS Attovfleg.

Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED As'rMr.

analisi WASHING MACHINE com a. onmapnrlageport, conn., signor to General Electric Company, 'a corporation of New York Application November 17, 1938, Serial No. 241,013

(or ss-13.3)

9 Claims..

The present invention relatesv to washing machines of the type having an agitator for effecting washing.

' The object of my invention is to provide 'an improved construction and arrangement in washing machines of this type, and in particular to provide an improved control for the agitator.

journaledon a driving head Iv pinned tothe shaft II and having a. tubular body portion depending therefrom around the post 3. The.

agitator is guided on the lower end of the post by a collar I6 fixed in the agitator which bears on a bearing I1 fixed on the outside of the post.

v For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following description andthe claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a sec- I'he agitator is supported by a thrustv washer I3 resting on the upper end of the agitator post 8 and engaging a shoulder lI9 on the under side of lthe agitator hub. AThe agitator hub is slidable on the driving head I5 so that the agitator may be lifted ofi.' the shaft for cleaning.

tional elevation of a washing machine-embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the upper end of the agitator;- Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 oi' Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, thereis shown a y washing machine' having asheet metal tub l seated on a rubber bead 2 on the upper edge of a skirt 3 having supporting legs 4. Extending diametrically across the skirt and fixed at either end thereto is a gear case 5 containing the driving mechanism for the washing machine, which is driven by an electric motor 8 mounted on the gear case. At one end of the gear case is a wringer post 1 which extendsupward along the outside of the tub.4 0n the upper end of the wringer post (not shown) the'usual wringer may be mounted. The wringer is driven by a continuously rotating shaft (not shown) extending from the gear case up through the wringer post. At the center of the tub is a tubular post 3 fixed' at its lower end to the gear case and projecting upward through a central opening in the notches 23 in the clutch keys.

Slidably carried in radial slots 20 in the driv- 4 ing head I5 are diametricaily opposite clutch keys l 2i having pointed teeth 22 on their outer edgesengageable with complementary axially extending grooves 23 in the agitator hub I4. 'I'he keys 2i are heldin the inner position as shown in Fig. 4- by a resilient split ring 24 fitting in a circumferential groove 25 in the driving head and in In the inner position the ends of the teeth-22 are within the periphery of the driving head I5 so that the agitator is not oscillated by the shaft I I. The lower edges of the keys 2i rest on shoulders 21 (Fig. 2) at the bottom of the slots 20. Upward movement of the keys in the slots 20 is prevented by a plate 28 fixed to the upper end of the driving head. In the center of the driving head I5 is an axially extending bore 29 siidably receiving the enlarged lower end 30 of a plunger 3i. The

' plunger is reciprocated by a cap 32 having walls bottom of the tub. The bottom of the tub is clamped between a flange 9 on the post 9 and a nut III threaded on vthe post. Suitable sealing washers I0' are arranged between the upper and lower surfaces ofthe tub and the adjacent surfaces of the flange 9 and the nut Iii. Extending from .the gear case up through the post 3 is a shaft II which is continuously osciliated by the rdriving mechanism within the gear case.l Mechanism for oscillating the shaft II and ior ro- 33 depending around the agitator hub and having a lflange 34 at the center rotatable on a reduced portion 35 of the plunger and held between a shoulder 36 on the plunger and a screw 31 threadved therein. The cap 32 covers the upper. end

of the agitator hub and keeps water splashed over the upper .end of the agitator from leaking around the shaft. The plunger is held on the agitator by a plate 33 fixed on the agitator hub by having its edges l39 spun into a groove,

40. The body of the plunger is-slidable in an opening 4I at the center of the plate 313.` With this arrangement the plunger can have a reciptinuous oscillation of the shaft I I.

keys engage the complementary'grooves 23 in .the agitator hub and complete a driving connection from the continuously oscillating shaft Il to the agitator. The angle of the cam surfaces 44 and of the pointed end 43'of the plunger is such that lthe driving forces cannot cause an upward movement of the plunger. These angles are illustrated as approximately 45. Due to the pointed ends of the clutch keys and the tapered sides of the grooves 23, there is no lost motion between the clutch keys and the agitator hub.

During the oscillation of the agitator there is a tendency for the agitator to move upward on the agitator shaft. This is prevented by a snap ring 45 carried in a circumferential groove 46 in the teeth 41 between the grooves 23 of the agitator hub. The snap ring 45 is engaged by the notches 23 in the clutch keys and thereby prevents axial movement of the agitator hub with respect to the agitator shaft. From one aspect the snap ring 45 and the notches 26 serve as a detent for preventing movement of the agitator olf its driving shaft.

When the agitator is not operating, the cap 32 is in the upper position shown in Fig. 2 and the clutch keys 2| are maintained in the inner position by the split ring 24. Under this condition the agitator remains stationary during the. con- To effect operation ofthe agitator, the cap 32 is pushed downward, causing the plunger :il to be moved downward and the cam surfaces on the pointed end 43 thereof to engage the cam surfaces 44 onthe clutch keys and force the clutch keys outward into engagement with the grooves 23 in the agitator hub. Since the cap is freely rotatable on the plungei` 3l, it can be comfortably gripped by the operator. The outward movement of the clutch keys is facilitated by the fact that the teeth 41 are pointed. It is therefore impossible for the pointed ends 22 of the clutch teeth to jam `against the ends of the teeth 41. The outward movement of the clutch teeth establishes a driving connection from the agitator shaft Il to the agitator. In the driving position the notches 26 in the clutch teeth engage the snap ring 45 and prevent upward movement of the agitator. The driving connection to the agitator is released by lifting the cap 32, returning'the plunger 3l to the position shown in Fig. 2. The clutch keys are then returned to the inner position by the split ring 24. The tapered side walls of the grooves 23 cooperate with the tapered ends of the teeth 22 to assist in forcing the clutch keys to the inner position. While the clutch keys are in the inner position the agitator may be lifted out of the vtub for cleaning.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. In a washer, a vertical shaft, an agitator having a hub rotatable relative to the shaft, said hub being slidable relative to the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, a clutch member carried by the shaft movable into and out of engagement with the hub to makeand break a driving connection from the shaft to the agitator, and normally separated interengaging parts on the hub and clutch member engageable in the driving position of the clutch member to prevent axial movement of the agitator of! the shaft during its operation. l

2. In a washer,l in combination with a power shaft and an agitator having a hub rotatably surrounding the shaft, saidl hub being slidable yposition the pointed teeth 22 of the clutch relative to the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, grooves in said hub, radially movable clutch keys in said shaft, means for moving saidv clutch keys radially into and out of engagement with said grooves to make and break a driving connection between the shaft and the agitator, and detent means preventing lifting of the agitator off the shaft comprising normally disengaged parts on the hub and at least one of vthe clutch keys engageable by movement of the clutch keys to the driving position.

3. In a washer, a vertical shaft, an agitator having a hub rotatable relative to the shaft, said hub being slidable relative to the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, axially extending grooves in the hub, a circumferential groove in the portions of the hub between said axial grooves, a snap ring in the circumferential groove, clutch keys in the shaft movable into and out of engagement with said axial grooves to make and break a driving connection to the agitator, and notches in said keys engageable with the snap ring when 'in the driving position for' holding the agitator against movement oifthe shaft.

4. In a washer, in combination with a power shaft and an agitator having a hub rotatably surrounding the shaft, said hub being slidable relative to the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, axially extending grooves in the hub having tapered side walls, clutch keys in the shaft having taperedportions movable into and out of engagement with"the tapered side walls of the grooves, means for moving the clutch keys, and detent'means preventing lifting of the the shaft. said hub being slidable relative to the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, pointed teeth in the hub having 'the ends thereof ybearing on the shaft and defining axially extending grooves in the hub, clutch keys in the shaft having pointed ends movable into and. out of said grooves to make and break a driving connection to the agitator, means forv moving the clutch keys, and detent means preventing lifting of the agitator off the shaft comprising normally disengaged parts on the hub and at least one of the clutch keys engageable by movement of the clutch keys to the driving.

position. l l I 6. In a washer, a vertical shaft, an agitator having a hub rotatable relative to the shaft, said hub being slidable relativevto the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, radially movable clutch members for making and breaking a driving connection between the agitator and shaft, and detent means cooperating with the clutch membersin the driving `position for preventing axial movement of the agitator off the' shaft.

7. In a washer', in combination with a power shaft and an agitator having la hub rotatably surrounding the shaft, said hub being slidable relative to the shaft whereby the agitator may be lifted off the shaft, radially movable clutch keys in the shaft movable into and out of engagement with said hub to make and break a driving connectionV between the shaft and the agitator. a plunger in the shaft having a tapered end, cam surfaces on the clutch keys cooperating with said extending grooves in the vhub,detentmea.ns in said grooves, clutch keys in the shaft movable into and out of engagement. with said groovesY to make and break a driving connection to the agitator, and notches in said vlieys engageable with said detent .m'eans' when inV-theedriving position for holding the agitator against movement oi! the shaft.

9; In a washer, in combination with'a power shaft and an agitator having a hub rotatably surrounding the shaft. radiallymovable clutch keys in the shaft movable into and out of ehgagement with said hub to make and break a driving oonnectionbetween the shaft and the agitator, tension means encircling the clutch keys and fitting in notches in the keys and in grooves in the shaft for holding the keys in the inner position, a plunger in the shaft having a tapered end, and cam surfaces on the clutch keys cooperating with said tapered end whereby downward movement of the plunger forces the keys radially outward into lengagement with the hub.

I GOSTA E. GIBSON. 

